


Stockholm Syndrome

by i_amtheoutlaw



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Beware, Demon!Dean, Destiel - Freeform, M/M, Mentions of Rape, Miscarriage, Pre-Slash, Trigger Heavy, and torture, general hell things and evilness, season 10, slight dean/alistair dub-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-02-21 16:10:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2474327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_amtheoutlaw/pseuds/i_amtheoutlaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Don’t care about me or Sam, do you?”</p><p>Dean opened his mouth but Cas shut him up with a small chuckle. “It was simply rhetorical, Dean, I don’t need your confirmation. You always forget, don’t you?” </p><p>This time Cas paused for a reply that he knew wouldn't be coming before he continued on and said, “I find it amusing, you know. Even as a human you always seemed to forget that I know you, Dean Winchester. I know you better than anyone. Not your father, not Sam or Bobby, not even Benny . . . no one has ever known you like I know you.”</p><p>--</p><p>**just the season ten AU nobody asked for</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So. I heard those things Dean’s gonna say to Sammy next episode and sort of wanted someone to put him in his place as well. Not that I don’t still love his evil ass. That's just sort of what spurred this. An AU of season ten where the human blood doesn't work. The idea is that Dean’s not gonna get completely better with human blood, or he may just end up dying since being a demon was the only thing keeping him alive. 
> 
> Now, lastly, BEWARE! I talk about what Dean did in hell and it’s not pretty. Cas also gets a little vulgar. I’m trying to make his dialogue a little exaggerated though, because he’s trying to rile Dean up, to get him to feel things. 
> 
> Oh! Also, I say that Dean got on his knees for Cas before, however I never said that Cas took him up on the offer, so yeah. That’s why this is only tagged as pre-slash. For now.

Castiel coughed and coughed and _coughed_ , but he never once slowed pace. He tore through the bunker and yanked open the door that led to the basement and only stopped when he reached the edge of the Winchester’s dungeon.

“So . . . you weren’t lying,” said Cas, and for the first time in what seemed like ages his own voice was void of any emotions and it sounded like music to his ears. He closed his eyes against the sight that had greeted him, then looked toward Sam’s tired form instead. 

Sam glared at him hard for a moment, but softened quickly. “I wouldn’t lie about something like this, Cas,” he assured. 

“No, you wouldn’t,” Cas said simply. “But I wish you had been.” 

“Me too,” replied Sam, just as simply. 

Castiel started to cough again and quickly found himself being maneuvered into a chair by strong hands. 

“Well, isn’t this just too cute?” drawled an all-too-familiar sarcastic tone. Castiel winced while Sam merely glared in the direction which the voice came from. The scratch in Castiel’s throat grew unbearable and he coughed harder until blood had covered his hands. 

“Jesus, Castiel,” Sam breathed but Cas ignored him in favor of smiling at Dean since the blood had somehow soothed his burning throat enough to allow it. 

“I’m adorable, we know,” Cas wheezed out between breaths. “No need to remind me. Again.” 

Dean rolled his eyes then looked toward Sam. “What’s wrong with the angel?” he asked. 

Sam opened his mouth, but Castiel didn’t leave him any room to reply.

“I’m already dead, Dean,” Castiel spat, both the words and some blood. “That’s what is wrong with me. I’m not an angel. I’m not a human. I’m _death_ walking on two legs. Does this bother you or something?”

Dean looked a little uneasy, like he wasn’t sure whether to glare or laugh, but other than that he made no move to reply. Castiel didn’t hesitate, he openingly laughed at the demon’s expression.

“Cat got your tongue, _demon_?” asked Cas, the word felt wrong on his own tongue even though he knew it was the truth. “You don’t have to say it, I already know that you don’t care about a God damn thing.” Dean raised an eyebrow at the curse, but otherwise he didn’t react so Cas continued. “Don’t care about me or Sam, do you?”

Dean opened his mouth but Cas shut him up with a small chuckle. “It was simply rhetorical, Dean, I don’t need your confirmation. You always forget, don’t you?” 

This time Cas paused for a reply that he knew wouldn’t be coming before he continued on and said, “I find it amusing, you know. Even as a human you always seemed to forget that I _know_ you, Dean Winchester. I know you better than anyone. Not your father, not Sam or Bobby, not even Benny . . . no one has ever known you like I know you.”

Cas stood up and forced himself to walk over to the demon, to look right in his blackened and burned out soul. Cas placed his hands on the arms of the chair Dean was locked to and leaned down until their faces were inches apart. When he spoke again his tone was amused, but calculated. 

“I have always known what you were capable of since the moment I laid my eyes on you,” he said. “I’ve been in your head. I know everything you’ve ever done. I’ve seen everything you’ve seen. Want to hear, hm, Dean? Hear the truth? Well, you’re going to hear it either way.”

Dean gritted his teeth but didn’t look away from Castiel’s eyes. It was clear Dean knew that he couldn’t have done a thing to stop from hearing and Cas smirked, though he felt hollow inside.

“I’ve seen you hold a teenage boy’s soul down and force yourself on him and laugh while doing it. I’ve seen you tear into a woman’s soul while taunting that you were gonna cut out her unborn child and feed it to her, knowing good and well that the woman’s fetus had passed on when the hellhounds ripped through her,” Castiel paused for a moment and wondered if he should go there, but in the end he knew he couldn’t hold anything back. He even forced himself to smile as he spoke this time, “I’ve even seen you excited at the thought of your own brother selling his soul and ending up on your rack. I saw you tear into soul after soul that looked like Sam and love it. _Crave_ it.”

“Cas,” Sam breathed, a plea to stop in his tone. Castiel ignored him. All his focus was on the demon in front of him. Though, he did notice that Sam hadn’t tried too hard.

“I saw how hot it made you, how hard you got thinking about having your little brother in every way you could. Every way you thought that you deserved, thought that you had _earned_. I’ve seen you, Dean Winchester. Every last bit of you.” 

“Yeah, so what?” Dean barked and, finally, the green in Dean’s eyes, the last piece left of him that Cas could even recognize, flashed to black and Cas let out howl of laughter.

“You know what else I’ve seen, Dean? Hm?” 

Dean only snarled in reply.

Cas smirked. “I’ve seen what a little bitch you really are under all that. When you didn’t have that knife in your hand. Bending over, grabbing your ankles, and begging for it. Begging for scum, Dean. Filthy demon scum and I’ve seen you crying for it. For _any_ attention you could get. I’ve seen you plead for torture just so you wouldn’t be left alone again. I’ve seen you let yourself be played like toy and _know_ it.

“And I’ve seen how much you loved it. How much you simply ‘didn’t care.’

“So, tell me, Dean? All that demon mojo got you feeling _special_ again? Hm? Feeling free and untouchable?” Castiel’s smirk broadened to a devilish grin, though inside he still felt hollow. “Because I’ve seen another demon’s cock make you feel the same way.

“I mean, damn it,” Castiel forced himself to chuckle again. “Did you ever stop to wonder why you don’t remember being saved, Dean? Why your last thoughts of the pit end with all those poor souls you tortured?”

Castiel raised an eyebrow but Dean didn’t budge. He sighed. “Couldn’t very well have the righteous man prancing around with memories of himself begging and screaming bloody murder over being taken away from his precious demon, now could we?” Castiel paused and took a deep breath. “Couldn’t very well have you remembering how desperate you were to get on your knees for me and do whatever it took to ensure you wouldn’t be left alone again. 

“You might have Crowley fooled and maybe even Sam, but you will _never_ fool me, Dean. You may be a lot stronger than I am, you may be able to swat me off the face of this earth like fly, but you know one thing you will never have over me?” 

“What’s that?” Dean growled, only breaking once he realized Castiel wasn’t going to continue—or move—without his cue.

Castiel straightened himself once more, but still stared down into the black pits of Dean’s eyes. 

“Power,” Cas said simply. “You, Dean Winchester, will never dominate me. Because nothing you ever say or do could erase the things I know about you. I will always know your biggest fear, Dean, and demon or not, emotions or not, that’s one thing that will never change.”

Cas smiled down at Dean and gave him a pat on the cheek, his blood smeared on Dean’s chin but the other didn’t seem to notice because he was too busy watching Castiel’s face. 

“Come on, _Sammy_ ,” said Cas as he turned and strode toward the doorway. “Let’s let him stew down here for a while all _alone_. Give him time to think about how bad of a boy he’s been.”

Alistair had once said the same thing to Dean, Cas hoped the demon would put two and two together. He needed to trigger those memories if his plan was to work.

Castiel didn’t stop to see if Sam had followed him. He couldn’t show weakness in front of Dean, because he knew this was his only chance at saving the other now. Just as he had the first time. It hurt, a million times more than it had then, but one of them had to do it and Castiel wasn’t going to make Sam be the one. Castiel couldn't have watched Sam tear his own brother to pieces just so they could put him back together. _Again._

When he reached the stairs he heard footsteps following him and suddenly grew nervous. He wondered how Sam would react to the harshness toward his brother. When they both made it up the steps, Castiel rounded on the taller man with an apology on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped short when he noticed Sam’s broad grin.

“Damn, Cas,” started Sam. “I’ll be honest I didn’t know you still had any of that whole wrath-of-heaven fierceness left in you, but damn. That was impressive.”

“Impressive?” Castiel asked with a frown.

“ _Yes_ ,” Sam breathed. “You don’t even understand how big of an asshole Dean was being. How fucking evil he was acting before you came in. So, yeah, like I said: impressive.”

Castiel hummed in understanding. “I just hope my ‘wrath-of-heaven fierceness’ as you put it will work as well as it did the first time. Somehow I don’t think it wise for you nor Dean to continue the purification treatments.”

“I . . . I know. I just can’t let him live like that, Cas, but . . .” Sam paused and gave Castiel an unreadable look before he nodded. "If anyone can fix him it's you."

Castiel smiled softly. "Thank you, Sam," he said.

Sam grinned and threw his uninjured arm around Cas. "You know, you can call me Sammy if you really want to," he said.

Castiel smiled widely. Then he nearly fell over as he started to cough. Luckily, Sam was there to catch him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> introducing demon!dean

_So what_? thought Dean, as the feathery ass glided away from him.

Then Dean smirked as he saw in his head an image of the angel’s once so glorious wings. He remembered how they now hung skeletal and bare as they had flashed behind it for a second when it’d raised itself to full height. If the coughing hadn’t been an indicator, then those wings were surely a sign. Castiel was biting the brink, in the major kind of way. All Dean had to do was wait.

So what if that angel he’d actually deemed to think of as his best friend had been keeping secrets this whole time. For years. That didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Certainly not that. Dean didn’t care that Cas had manipulated him into being a better person and picking up heaven's messes. Dean didn’t care that the angel had fucking fooled him into thinking that he needed its shiney ass to fucking survive. Dean didn’t care that Castiel had tricked him into rotting in purgatory for a fucking year. It didn’t matter that Dean had trusted Castiel with everything and that it turned out to be a fucking _liar_ just like everyone else. It didn’t matter how pathetic Dean had been. That didn’t fucking matter. 

Nothing mattered.

All Dean had to do was wait.

\--

When Castiel finally reined in his coughing fit, he found himself quickly guided toward the kitchen. Using his good arm to guide, Sam maneuvered Cas into a chair and started moving about the kitchen while he replayed the events that led up to his capture of Dean earlier that day. Sam had just pressed a steaming mug into Cas’s hand of something that made his throat feel much better when Sam said, 

“So, I gave Crowley the blade--”

“You what!?” Castiel shouted and was up on his feet with hot liquid splashing all over him despite his white knuckled grip on the cup. 

“I had to--”

“Sam.”

“What, Cas?”

“Did you just say you gave the blade to Crowley?” Castiel asked slowly.

“Yes, Cas, I--”

Cas sat heavily back down in the chair and closed his eyes. With a loud sigh, he took a long sip and then set the mug down on the counter. “That was very stupid,” he said. 

“Well, what else was I supposed to do?” Sam asked as he plopped down into the seat across from Castiel’s own.

“Took Dean and the blade,” Cas said evenly. “Screw Crowley back to the pit where he belongs.”

Sam opened his mouth but suddenly Hannah popped out of nowhere and startled them both. 

“Castiel,” said Hannah smoothly, with a brief but somehow still gawky wave in both his and Sam’s direction. “Sam Winchester.”

“Hi,” replied Sam with a frown.

“Hannah, I’m sorry--”

“Look, I’m feeling very awkward right now, I think, so I’m just going to be truthful. I’m not mad about you forgetting about me. I . . . understand? I suppose. I heard your . . . confrontation with Dean Winchester, and though I do not understand, I can and do admire your loyalty.” Hannah paused for a moment then added, “and I do believe you are being too harsh with Sam. It sounded to me like he didn’t have a choice.”

“A choice,” Castiel repeated slowly.

“Yes,” Hannah said then nodded sternly in Sam’s direction.

“Er . . . thanks?” said Sam awkwardly. 

Castiel rolled his eyes.

“Look,” Cas said. “I’m sorry if I was _harsh_ , Sam, but we don’t yet know what kind of power the blade holds over Dean and you’ve just given it away. To Crowley. Dean may need _Crowley_ to survive now. Not me-- _us_.”

Sam looked as if he might have an aneurysm but Castiel was much too tired to have done anything but pressed on. “Take Hannah to the library, she will be fine there. You should get some sleep. I’ve got a few things to handle.” 

With that Cas got up and turned to walk away.

“I thought you said that you were gonna leave him alone. You know, bad boy and all that?” Sam called after him.

“That was then, this is now,” Cas replied without turning, so he couldn’t have seen the smirk Sam threw after him.

But Hannah had. 

Interesting. 

\--

Dean’s smirk grew as the sound of footsteps plundered down the stairs. Moments later the doors swung open to reveal one angel and its billowing tan trenchcoat. 

Its expression was murderous. A full out grin ate away at Dean's face as he took in the wreckage once again trying to bare itself at full height. Its shiney figure was wound tight within porcelain skin, fading eyes hard, and hair a dark shock of messy contrast. Bones as pale as its skin faintly shimmered in and out of view in the background, but somehow it maintained an air of thoroughly ruffled even without its stock of feathers. 

Dean wanted to laugh at his own thoughts and ended up snorting.

It looked like he wouldn’t have to wait long at all.

“Couldn’t even leave me alone for one night?” drawled Dean, slowly, and then he actually did chuckle. “Oh angel, and here you had me worried all our time together was a lie.”

“You will be left alone, Dean,” said the angel, firmly, as it came to a stop a few feet in front of Dean’s chair. “It’s no less than you deserve, I believe, for leaving Sam all alone without a clue to where you were. I feel I’m owed a debt for our worry.”

“What do I deserve for killing that douchebag then?” Dean raised an eyebrow. “Sammy tell you about that one? Huh? Tell you about the guy I stabbed and damned to hell?”

It tilted its head at Dean’s statement; it always did that when searching for the relevancy of something. A cool sensation passed down Dean's spine, and an airy remembrance of feelings he no longer could feel passed through his mind. 

“I do not plan to punish you for that,” spoke the angel, after a good moment of studying Dean’s face. “After all, it was my idea in the first place.” Before Dean could question the angel, or tell if it was lying, it continued. “Though, that does bring up the concerns of why I’m back already, Dean.

“I need for you to drop the pretense for a moment. I know that you can do that for me. Forget the circumstances, because none apply to what we are about to discuss. This is a matter beyond the chains which confine you. Do you understand, Dean?”

“You’re saying that my answer has no hold on whether or not I break free, so I may as well answer truthfully,” Dean replied flatly.

“Correct,” it eyed him warily. “Are you going to?”

“I could promise, but that would take all the fun out of it.” 

Castiel frowned thoughtfully, then shrugged and spoke, “to your knowledge, will you die without the first blade?”

This was not what Dean had been expecting the angel to say.

Dean certainly felt like he was going to die without the blade, but why should he tell the angel this? Dean wondered over his options. He quickly realized that he didn’t have too many. He could lie, and let himself slowly die as he tried to find a way to escape. Or he could tell the truth, and maybe get the angel to do some of his dirty work for him. However, this brought up more issues because Dean didn’t know whether or not he could trust the angel enough. 

Before Dean could reply the angel spoke up again, “your head may be filled with doubts about me, Dean. About Sam and even about yourself. But at least you know one thing: I want you alive. Always have.”

Which was true, Dean supposed. The angel wasn’t like Sammy. It knew exactly what it was doing to Dean and didn’t try to pass it off as some act of brotherly duty. It wasn’t spouting about its own righteousness and dragging Dean threw the dirt like it could have been. It hadn’t made this imprisonment about Dean’s choices or placed any of the weight on Dean's shoulders at all. The look in its eyes was hardened and cold and filled with promise, and they told Dean that the angel knew exactly what it was doing and everything that it planned to do still.

It wanted Dean locked down and bound for as long as it pleased, until it was satisfied. It wouldn’t kill Dean, or break him beyond repair, but it could if it wanted to. Though Dean knew that he wouldn’t be dying anytime soon, even if he was to live out the rest of his days chained to a chair like an angel’s personal toy. This was when the angel chose to cough, once again reminding Dean of the time stamp on its head. Dean would be the angel's toy not for his own life span, but for the rest of the angel’s days . . . then what would happen to Dean?

Right, Dean thought. They had one thing in common then, neither of them wanted Dean to die. Dean was sure his life was safe in the angel's hands and that was more than Dean could say about Sam--or anyone else--at the moment.

His little brother had said that he would kill Dean if it came to it, but Dean wasn’t sure if he’d been bluffing or not. He wished he'd had a chance to find out how serious Sam was before the angel showed up. 

“Dean--” It started, but Dean cut it off with a growl.

“Shut up for sec,” he said. “I’m thinking.”

Dean figured he could play the bitch for a little while, if in the end he’d be gaining more out of it. Like the angel said, he’d done much worse for himself. As it was, Dean didn’t trust Sam or Crowley as far as he could throw them, which had left Dean feeling alone since he’d woken up black-eyed. However, Dean realized, there was always the angel who Dean had once heard refer to another demon as 'thorny beauty . . .' 

There was always Castiel, who was just as fucked up as Dean was himself. 

It did matter, all of it. Dean realized this suddenly. All that he'd been thinking didn't matter, really did matter. The angel may have done all of the above to Dean then and now, but nothing had changed between them. It'd hid from Dean that it knew those deep dark parts of him and that did mean something, but not what Dean had thought at first.

It still liked Dean enough to keep him forever. Because it liked Dean so much that it wanted to keep those secret parts of Dean tucked away inside itself forever just like Dean wanted. 

It liked Dean a lot. Every last bit of him. 

That did matter. This changed everything. 

Dean smiled devilishly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the current occupants of the bunker find themselves all being disarmed in various ways . . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to be on a mini hiatus this semester, but . . . well. I had to. I'm not promising quick updates but I will come back to this when I have time.

“First step: get your feathers back. Second step: kill Crowley.”

Castiel nearly gaped. He had never before felt the urge to open his mouth quite so profoundly and the whole ordeal was rather off-putting. 

“By the expression on your face, I take it that wasn’t what you were expecting?” Dean asked.

“No,” Cas said honestly and Dean chuckled. “You still haven’t answered my question,” he continued, feeling even more confused. 

“Well . . .” Dean’s smile was disarming. “I feel like I’m going to die without the blade, but you . . . you’re actually dying. I figure I can’t let that happen or else I’ll be stuck down here with my idiot brother as my captor.”

“Your brother is an idiot,” conceded Cas, still mad at Sam for handing over the blade to Crowley in the first place. Somewhere in his being a nagging sensation was telling Cas that he was being unreasonable, but his mind refused to listen to the disturbance.

Dean laughed full out. “We really need to get some grace back in you, it’s confusing.”

Cas was still a bit dazed himself. “You’re telling me . . .”

\--

"You find it amusing, your brother and Castiel's relationship?" Hannah asked Sam as soon as they stepped foot in the library. 

Sam choked on his beverage and added another stain to the once flawless floor. "Er . . . you saw that did you?" he asked her warily, not understanding why shit always had to hit the fan in his favorite room in the whole bunker. 

"I did seem to pick up that information solely from your one gesture alone, yes." 

"Well, yeah," conceded Sam, for some reason he still never knew how to go about conversation with angels. Cas was the only one he'd ever warmed to for an extended amount of time. "It is funny sometimes, isn't it? Like say, for example, hm . . . remember when we were in the angel base in heaven or whatever and Castiel had that whole army thing started and you made him pick between you guys and Dean?"

"Yes." Hannah frowned. Sam made his way over to a table leaned against the surface.

"Cas' answer," Sam chuckled, knowing the angel only found the situation confusing and held no qualms about trying to off his brother for the greater good. "That's the bit I find funny,” he continued when she’d only frowned harder.

Her eyes widened. "I don't see the amusement in that situation."

"I knew you wouldn't. You'd have to live on earth for at least two years to understand that one, I'd think. Actually, it may have took Cas becoming a human for him to find their relationship even the least bit ironic. Or perhaps that was dying one too many times doing . . . and his humanity brought the irony up to a bitter chuckle. I’m not sure about him. Now, me? After years and years of it?" Sam asked, not waiting for an answer before he continued. "I find their whole relationship piss-yourself-funny."

"Well, are you going to explain . . ?" asked Hannah a few minutes later, after Sam had already thought the conversation over and had picked up a book and started to read.

Sam sighed. "It's a really long story . . ."

Hannah seemed to smile with her eyes, and Sam found it very disarming. Dean said that this was what Cas did, one just had to look for it, but Sam had always thought Dean was projecting a bit. Sam wasn’t sure now though, was Sam projecting a bit himself . . ?

"Something tells me we have some time,” Hannah announced in flat tone and Sam decided he was projecting just a tiny bit. 

Sam sighed again. It figured. 

\--

It was two hours later when Castiel next even thought of the time, and he only did because he yawned in the middle of a sentence. He came to with Dean grinning wildly at him. Cas found himself disarmed once again. 

"It's late," Cas announced and stood. 

"And here I thought I got lucky having an angel captor to keep me company on the long, cold, and lonely nights."

"I will return," promised Cas and Dean let out a hearty laugh. 

"I know you will. I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to steal you some grace myself if I want company all night, huh?" Dean wanted to know next. 

Castiel felt like his face was on fire for some reason. He frowned, not knowing what the hell was happening. They had just spent the past two hours talking about their plan of action on getting back both Castiel's grace and the first blade, but now Dean seemed to be having some other ideas. "I don't want you thinking you can run off and find me some yourself. There will only be consequences for that. I know what you need and we will do little but until we get it, I promise you that." 

"You sure?" Dean smiled. "Because I think Sam may even help me hold you down for administration if I managed to pull it off."

"Sam would listen to me." Castiel was confident of this at the moment. 

Dean raised his eyebrow, looking more playful than he had been in a long time, and, with a start, Castiel realized that the demon metamorphosis only seemed to settle Dean into his own skin more. An odd thing, in the usual situation it took practice for demons to possess human bodies. Often new demons would fail horribly at motor functions or simple English and get themselves exorcised by a local hunter or priest a few times before they got the hang of things. 

"Please. I am that kid's mother," Dean protested finally.

In light of this new information . . . Castiel smiled. "I find it very interesting that you would admit such a thing."

To his surprise, Dean continued to smile that . . . purely devilish smile and drawled, "you always have found me interesting . . ."

Castiel was sure his face was melting off as the seconds ticked by. He hadn't a clue what to say and opted to just turn and stride away. Dean's laughter followed him to the staircase. 

\--

It was a long story, but Hannah had been right. They'd had plenty of time for all of her thousands of questions. It had to have been hours later when Cas finally showed up in the library and interrupted them. 

The other angel looked confused and took a seat without a word toward either of them. Normally Hannah would be content in the silence but . . . in light of this new information . . .

She had only ever heard the stories. She had only ever thought it rumors among the garrisons, and most of it had turned out to be false . . . but not all of it.

She didn't know what to think now, but she believed every fiber of the story Sam Winchester had just shared with her. He hadn't lied about anything. 

Castiel raised Dean from hell like he was supposed to, Sam had started, but after that . . . life just sort of happened he'd said. 

"Life?" Hannah had asked.

Sam had sighed. He'd sighed a lot. 

Apparently Sam wasn't sure how it went exactly. It was like the chicken or the egg, he'd said, which she didn't understand a bit, but decided she didn't want to know so she'd nodded sincerely and gestured for him to continue. Dean and Cas had started to rub off on each other from the moment they met, it seemed, and when the time came they just couldn't let each other go, either of them. 

She couldn't believe that some of the worst hadn't been rumors. Heaven had tried to tame Castiel and failed. Castiel had fallen for the Winchesters. He had killed his own to keep them safe from heaven's grip. He had worked side by side with Lucifer's vessel to stop Michael from retrieving his own vessel. He'd given Lucifer's vessel demon blood and the okay to say yes.

He had stood on a battlefield with two humans as his only back up, and tried to interrupt the most important battle of all time by setting his own brother on fire, but . . . 

When Sam Winchester told it she could suddenly see things that hadn't been there before. Reasons, explanations, and even a little amusement within all the sorrow and blasphemy. 

She didn't have a clue what to say to her brother. Luckily, Sam broke the silence first.

"Cas?" he asked, like it was that easy. Hannah frowned, she was sure it wouldn't be that easy. 

"Yes, Sam?" Castiel looked up like he’d forgotten they were even there. 

"Er, what's up?" Sam held off a smile, but she could still see it lingering in the forefront of his mind. 

"I think Dean will be cooperative for now." Cas smiled a little, the confusion leaving his face completely. Sam let the soft smile slide from his mind toward his lips and went back to reading.

Maybe it was that easy.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope I didn't scar anyone for life! 
> 
> Comment or tell me what you think/want/like on tumblr


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